A note from Ms. Wanda Morgan (K1 Support Teacher) on Ideas to support Pretend Play using a ‘Hospital’ theme
The Pretend Play Area in the K1 Pod is presently set up as a Hospital, linking to our Units of Study ‘Peace begins with me’ and ‘My Trust Network’.
Maybe you could set up a hospital at home and explore playing imaginatively together as a family! If your child speaks another language at home, please take the time to play with your child in your home language.
Here are some ideas you may wish to use to set up your hospital. You may choose to focus on just one area!
Doctor's room:
- Table and chairs
- A basic doctor’s tool kit, available from most Toy Stores (or you could make your own or use things from around the house!)
- Clip board, paper and pencil and a simple health check list
- Roller bandages and syringes, available from Pharmacy shops, such as Unity, Guardian
- Triangular bandages for arm slings (made from old sheets)
- Empty plastic medicine bottles, boxes, plastic spoons
- A mattress or cushions to be used as an examination table
- Computer, ipad, phone (you could make these from recycled materials)
- X-ray machine (made out of boxes)
- Table and chair
- Cash till (from a toy shop or IKEA or uses a homemade one from a box)
- Real or pretend money, receipts, price labels, posters
- Computer, ipad, phone
- Safe entry device
- Soft chairs, toys, books (you could perhaps make your own!)
- Cups and a jug of water
- Mattress or cushions for a bed, bed sheet, pillow
- Chair for a visitor
- Toys and books
- Pretend flowers
- Basket of fruit
- Get well cards (recycled cards or you could create your own)
- The gift shop could provide a wrapping service!
- Cash till, pretend money, phone
Have you visited a clinic before? Why?
Why do people go to see the doctor? (for example, because they are unwell, hurt, need a health check or a vaccination).
Do you think our family doctor is a trusted adult who can help us keep safe?
Who works in a clinic?
Try to connect the play to your child’s experiences. Playing out something that they have experienced can help them to process and make sense of the situation. A number of our young learners have visited a clinic in relation to the COVID 19 pandemic, for example to get a COVID test or a COVID vaccination.
Encourage your child to take on different roles, such as doctor, patient, nurse, cleaner, gift shop sales assistant, ambulance driver! Interact with your child, focusing on their home language to enhance their learning and skills. The language you use can be simplified or extended, depending on your child’s ability and level of understanding. Below this message, I have added a list of hospital related vocabulary that you may consider using. An adult could model particular roles, for example modelling being a receptionist:
Example of dialogue used by receptionist greeting a patient entering the clinic:
“Hello!
How can I help you?
Please can you do safe entry and use the hand sanitizer?
Do you need to see a doctor?
Do you have an appointment?
Please can you write your name?
I’m just going to take your temperature (with the thermometer).
I will write your temperature next to your name.
Please wait over there in the waiting area.
Here are books and toys to explore whilst you are waiting!
A doctor will see you soon!”
Example of dialogue used by receptionist helping a patient to pay at Reception after seeing the doctor:
“That will be $5 dollars please.
Here is your change.
Here is your receipt.
Thank you very much/ you are welcome!
The doctor would like to see you again next week, can you come on Monday?
Goodbye!”
The receptionist could also pretend to type on the computer, answer questions and arrange appointments on the phone.
Dressing up is always fun and can help everyone to ‘get into character’! An old white shirt can make a suitable doctor’s coat! If you have a lack of human patients in your pretend play scenarios, you can always use dolls and soft toys instead!
I often shop at IKEA or DAISO for resources for pretend play! However, please don’t feel a shopping trip is necessary. It is amazing what you can find around the house and it is fun and environmentally friendly to make resources out of recycled materials.
If you do decide to create your own hospital or clinic, I would love to hear about it!
wmo@uwcsea.edu.sg
Have fun!
Ms. Wanda Morgan
A list of hospital related vocabulary that you may consider using:
Hospital clinic/surgery
Reception
Register
Sign in
Safe entry
Appointment
Identity, name, number
day/time
Busy/ not free/ unavailable
Wait
Waiting room
Receptionist
Doctor
Nurse
Cleaner
Patient
Visitor
Gift, card, flowers
Hospital room
Clipboard
check/examine
Illness, sick, unwell, poorly
Better
Feeling
Safe
Trust
Examination
X ray
Photo
Bone
Broken/fractured
X Ray machine, remote control
Computer mobile/cell phone
Receipt, change, pay
Ambulance/ emergency vehicle
Driver
Community
Safe
Vaccination
Covid test
Medical tools/instruments
Medicine
Pain
Treat
Treatment
Help/assist
Height, weight
Germs
Pharmacy
Gifts, presents, cards
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